The Metropolitan Transit Authority opened the first phase of the Revere Extension on January 5, 1952, with new stations at Airport, Wood Island, and Orient Heights. This phase connected the East Boston Tunnel at Maverick to the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn narrow gauge right of way between Wood Island and Orient Heights. For a short distance that includes Airport station, this connecting line follows a right of way, now the East Boston Greenway, that was once used by the Grand Junction Railroad and the Eastern Railroad. The surface-level Blue Line stations deteriorated over several decades as a result of the salt air found on the North Shore. The station was modernized in 1967-68 as part of a $9 million systemwide station improvement program. In April 2000, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority began construction on a $23 million project to replace the 1952-built station. The new station, located approximately 500 feet east of the old station due to Big Dig relocation of highway ramps, opened June 3, 2004. It is fully accessible, with the platforms connected by a pedestrian bridge with elevators, and has longer platforms than the previous station in order to accommodate 6-car trains. The station includes several features to serve airport travelers, including luggage slides adjacent to the faregates, wider escalators and elevators, and monitors showing flight statuses. Airport was the first American urban transit connection to a commercial airport. Until 2005, the station was the primary rapid transit link between Boston to the airport. As part of Big Dig environmental mitigation, the state was mandated to run Silver Line service to the airport terminals. Full-time service from South Station began on June 1, 2005. This SL1 service has replaced the transfer at Airport station for many travelers, although the station still sees substantial airport traffic.
Plans
Airport station was a proposed stop on the Urban Ring Project. The Urban Ring was to be a circumferential bus rapid transit line designed to connect the current radial MBTA rail lines, to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations, but it was canceled in 2010. Under draft plans released in 2008, a new surface-level BRT platform was to be built on the north side of the existing busway. Although the full project was shelved due to the MBTA's financial difficulties, some corridor routes received more limited work, including a branch of the Silver Line to Chelsea. The new branch separates from the SL1 route before Logan Airport; it stops at Airport station at the previously proposed spot, then runs over a haul road and a new busway constructed on a former section of the Grand Junction Railroad. The SL3 service began on April 21, 2018. In October 2015, Massport released plans for a major expansion of Terminal E which would include a pedestrian bridge directly to the station. With half a mile between the terminal and the station, the moving walkways for the connection would be among the longest in the world. In April 2018, Massport announced a $15 million study of a possible automated people mover system to connect the Airport Station with the four terminals, rental car center, and economy parking. It would replace the shuttle busses and serve instead of the proposed walkway. Implementation was estimated to cost $1 billion and take ten years.
Bus connections
operates free shuttle bus service between Airport station and the arrivals levels of Logan's airline terminals. Shuttle bus service operates seven days per week. All shuttle buses are wheelchair lift-equipped for handicapped accessibility. These services are:
33 Services terminals C & E, Airport station, and Rental Car Center
55 Services all terminals, Airport station, and Rental Car Center
66 Services all terminals, water shuttle dock and Airport station
The only MBTA bus route that stops at the station, besides the Silver Line BRT's, is the early-morning route. Route 171 and the Silver Line also run to the airport terminals.
Station layout
The station serves the East Boston neighborhood in addition to the airport, with an entrance on the west side to Bremen Street via Bremen Street Park. The East Boston Greenway passes through the park and bicycle parking is provided at the Bremen Street entrance. The station includes a no-fare passageway from that entrance to the east side of the station where the Massport shuttle buses stop. A path from the east side leads to the East Boston Memorial Stadium and to the Rental Car Center, where there is also bicycle parking.
